


the future is bleak (ill stay with you through it)

by n3s0



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Amnesiac Karl Jacobs, Badboyhalo is Sapnap's adoptive dad, Dream Smp, Hurt/Comfort, Karl Jacobs-centric, Kinda but not really, M/M, Multi, Protective Alexis | Quackity, Protective Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Rating is for swearing, This really isn't very romantic lol sorry, Time Travel, im terrible at writing romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29423244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n3s0/pseuds/n3s0
Summary: Life had been...complicated, to say the least, lately. L'manberg was blown to bits, there's gross red stuff growing all over the server, and Dream was in prison for a multitude of reasons that he didn't even want to think about. At least Sapnap, Quackity, and Karl could find refugee in Sapnap's base and finally relax. But when Karl seems to be forgetting more and more, and important things at that, they suppose life will just have to stay complicated while Sapnap and Quackity help Karl.orKarl's amnesia from time travel mixing with timeline confusion isn't a good combination, but Quackity and Sapnap help him out.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 13
Kudos: 206
Collections: TWB Valentine's Event [2021]





	the future is bleak (ill stay with you through it)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Malaise_Incarnate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malaise_Incarnate/gifts).



> As always, this is about the characters in the Dream SMP roleplay and not the real content creators. This is not a genuine interpretation of the content creators or meant to be a judgment of them. Especially with the fact that this fic is shipping, please do not send this to CCs or read this as their IRL personalities. Please let me know if any content creators express that they're uncomfortable with fanfic and it will be taken down.  
> While Quackity has said he is not comfortable with ship fics that was in the context of reading ship fics on stream, in his "reading fanfic about me" video, not about the existence of them. If that changes, or he clarifies that he did mean the existence of them, please let me know in the comments! 
> 
> This is for The Writer's Block Valentine's day event, for Quaxy! I hope you like it :) It's a little rushed, and I'm a bit sick, so it's not my best work, but I hope it's what you wanted none the less. The request was Karl having amnesia from time traveling, Karlnapity, hurt/comfort.

It's days like these where Sapnap regrets building his base underground. He really, _really_ , just wants some fresh air to think. With everything that's been going on, he could really go for a long walk on the Prime Path. The only problem with that is a good portion of it is covered with red vines, or blown up, or Tommy was going to be there and bother him and while he'd resolved all the conflicts he had with the kid he really wasn't in the mood to deal with a screaming child. He throws the book he was reading at the wall in anger.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" Quackity asks from where he was lounging on the couch. Quackity and Karl had moved in with him after Quackity's house in L'manberg was destroyed and Karl admitted that he didn't even have a real house. It wasn't like it was a problem, he already spent almost all his time with his two fiances, he'll just have to get used to other people being around to see his antics. 

"I don't know," Sapnap admits honestly, "I'm annoyed, I guess. A lot's happened recently." 

"Tell me about it man," Quackity complains. They both have their fair share of problems. Sapnap seeing one of his best friends dissolve into villainy, and the other seemingly indifferent, the Community House, something he considered a home, destroyed, and now his father losing himself to possession. Quackity's home destroyed by the guy that's taken two of his lives, and still both grieving and relieved over his ex's death, recovering from the trauma. It seemed like Karl was the only one of them that had his life together. Speaking of Karl, he had poked his head around the corner holding one of Sapnap's pet dogs in his arms. 

"I hear people being sad and that's unacceptable," Karl teases with a kind smile, and Sapnap smiles back. Leave it to Karl to brighten his mood. "So I brought..." Karl starts, but trails off mid-sentence, seeming to forget what he was saying. 

"...Juni?" Quackity finishes tentatively, "You're holding Juni." 

"Yeah, haha, sorry," Karl laughs, though Sapnap can hear the anxiety hidden in his voice, "Sapnap you have so many pets it's hard to keep track."

"I literally have three dogs, how can you not keep track of that," he makes grabby hands towards Karl so Karl plops himself on the couch in between Quackity and Sapnap, Juni laying down in Karl's lap and resting her head on Sapnap's leg. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Karl jokes, poking the side of Sapnap's face. Sapnap slaps Karl's hand in retaliation and Karl jumps backward, knocking into Quackity. The three fiances devolve into an all-out slap war, forgetting Karl's slip up entirely. 

* * *

Quackity and Sapnap were sitting at their dinner table, chatting quietly while Karl made dinner. They hadn't been leaving the base often lately, with the vines spreading more, and honestly, they just had no reason to leave. Karl seemed to disappear for a few hours at a time, but he got along with most people on the server even after everything, so the other two never questioned where he went. It was likely he was just visiting other friends on the server, and neither Sapnap nor Quackity was going to interrogate Karl for simply leaving the house. 

"How's your dad been doing?" Quackity asks, keeping up the small talk but still genuinely curious. He knows Sapnap's been hung up about how Bad has been acting lately. Obsessing over the egg that was spreading around the server and trying to convince Sapnap to "join him", whatever that meant. Sapnap groans and puts his head in his hands.

"He's been so nuts, dude," Sapnap throws his hands in the air, frustrated, and his voice shifts to a poor imitation of Bad's, "'Oh SappyNappy, why don't you just listen to this creepy as fuck egg you little muffin!' It's creeping me out." Quackity opens his mouth to reassure Sapnap, but Karl speaks up first. 

"Your dad?..." Karl says, asking it like a question, like he didn't remember who Sapnap's dad was. Sapnap and Quackity share a nervous look.

"Uh, yeah, my dad," Sapnap gives Karl a curious look, "Bad, Badboyhalo, Badboy 'muffiny muffinhead' Halo, you've literally met him." 

Karl blinks a few times before a nervous smile appears on his face.

"Oh, yeah, Bad," Karl nods, setting down three bowls of food for their dinner on the table, "yeah I know him. I've met him." Quackity and Sapnap share another look. Sure, Karl seemed to be forgetful sometimes, but this had to be a joke. Right? "Sapnap are you going to visit Dream tomorrow, around noon?" Karl asks, suddenly changing subjects. 

"Yeah, I didn't realize I mentioned that to you," Sapnap says slowly and Karl laughs nervously.

"You did! And uh, do you think you could instead help me buy presents for Tommy's birthday?" Karl shrugs nonchalantly. 

"Tommy's birthday isn't until, like, April," Quackity says, eyebrow cocked. 

"Never hurts to be prepared," Karl says around a bite of food. "We can make a date out of it! The three of us! Spending the whole day together instead of you going to see Dream tomorrow Sapnap!" Sapnap normally would've pushed it, questioned why Karl was acting so insanely weird right after forgetting who his dad is, but Karl seems so genuinely nervous that he lets it slide and resolves on talking to Quackity about it later. 

"Yeah, we can go shopping tomorrow and try and find a gift for Tommy," Sapnap agrees and Karl's face lights up.

"Perfect, thank you!" He leans over and gives a quick kiss on both his and Quackity's foreheads, and the three of them eat their dinner in silence. Sapnap promises himself that he'll bring this up to Quackity tomorrow night, after they get home from shopping. 

* * *

"Hey, Sam," Quackity finds the man the next day while he was out around town, trying to find a good shop with his fiances. Sam seems to be in a hurry, sprinting down the Prime Path, but Quackity stops him anyways, "you talk to Tommy a lot, right? What do you think the kid would like for his birthday?" 

"I really can't talk right now Big Q," Sam says with panic in his voice, "I've gotta get to the prison." 

Quackity is quickly reminded of how nervously Karl advised Sapnap to stay away from the prison, just the night before.

"Why? What's going on? Is it Dream?" Quackity asks in quick succession. 

"Yes-" 

"Did he get out?" Quackity asks again, cutting Sam off. If Dream escaped, Quackity was going to find Karl and Sapnap and get back to their bunker as fast as possible. He's not risking letting anyone he cares about near Dream, not after what Tommy has told him about his exile. 

"No, but he tried to," Sam says nervously, "he tried using the obsidian in his cell to build a nether portal. I'm gonna go replace it with crying obsidian, he can't make a portal out of that even if he managed to break it enough to build a frame." 

"Okay, good idea," Quackity pinches the bridge of his nose, " _fuck_ \- if he...Whatever. He won't get out."

"Of course not, I'll see to that." 

"Yeah, yeah, thanks Sam. You can- I don't need an answer just-" Quackity stutters and Sam doesn't wait for him to finish his sentence before running off again. 

For as much as he plays up his stupidity for the bit, Quackity is smart. It doesn't take a genius to piece this together.

"Hey Quackity, I think Targay is gonna have the best-" Sapnap calls from behind him, but stops himself when Quackity turns around, "what happened, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"You know how Karl told you not to visit Dream today?" Quackity asks, and Sapnap's brow furrows.

"Uh, yeah, I remember."

"Dream tried to escape." 

"WHAT?!" Sapnap screams and nearly takes off in the direction of the prison. Quackity's grip on his forearm stops him.

"Sam's got it under control, doesn't sound like he even got out of his cell," Quackity reassures him, "but think about this for a minute. Karl tells you not to visit Dream and the very next day he breaks out?" Sapnap's face goes from confused, to shocked, to angry, to hurt. 

"How did he..." Sapnap gasps, "you don't think he's helping Dream, do you?" 

"I don't know," Quackity whispers. After everything, all the wars and fights, Quackity would be naive to have blind faith in someone. He was hoping it would be different with his fiances, but maybe he was wrong. "Let's go home, we can ask him about it tonight." Sapnap nods solemnly, and the two set out to find Karl and finish their shopping, agreeing it would be best to confront Karl while they're at their home and not in public. 

* * *

Time was getting slippery. That was the only way Karl could describe it. It started as small things, like forgetting Sapnap's dog's name, or losing his hoodie after he had just taken it off, or forgetting what he went into a room for. But it was getting worse, he wasn't oblivious. Forgetting Sapnap's dad? Forgetting his date with Quackity? He even had another tour set up with a woman named Valkyrae that he had completely forgotten about to the point where she was unable to come anymore. 

Then came the fact that he wasn't subtle, in the slightest. He was doing this for them, for the people he loved most in this world. So when he would time travel and learn that it was possible that Quackity would wander to one of Tubbo's nuke testing sites, he would beg Quackity to go on a hike with him on the opposite side of the world. When Sapnap would mention taking Sketchers on a walk and Karl would remember the timeline he found where Fundy kills the fox in retaliation for the Pet Wars, sparking yet another war, he would encourage Sapnap to play fetch with her indoors instead. When the three of them would plan a date and later that night he'll learn that if they go, Eret poisons Quackity's food to take down El Rapids, he fakes feeling sick to keep the three of them inside. It's exhausting, and he can see the irritation clear as day on their faces when he cancels plans, but he's doing this for them.

That's what he keeps telling himself, at least, but when his memory loss and vague reasons start driving a wedge in their relationship, his goal becomes a little less clear. It's getting slippery, too. 

The problem rears its ugly head the day after they went shopping, the day after Dream tried to escape. The day after when Sapnap was planning on visiting Dream, and if he did, Dream would convince Sapnap to use his blaze abilities to light his rudimentary nether portal and let him escape. Sapnap would be hunted down by Sam for letting Dream escape. Sapnap would die. Sapnap would _die_ and Karl _could've prevented it and-_

"Are you even listening, dude?!" Quackity snaps and Karl's thrown back into reality. Right. They had found out Dream tried to escape, and connected it to Karl telling Sapnap to not visit Dream. He knew they weren't dumb, no matter how many times they joked about it, but he was hoping they wouldn't piece it together. Or at least wouldn't figure it out until Karl came up with a good enough lie. He had no clue if they would believe him, or what kind of effects it would have on the timeline if other people knew about time traveling. 

"I'm listening, sorry," Karl shakes his head to clear it, and grins nervously, "could you repeat the question?" 

"Jesus Christ-" Sapnap growls, "the question was why the fuck did you tell me not the visit Dream, and then it turns out that Dream was trying to escape?! Were you gonna help him?" Sapnap's eyes are a fiery red, and there's literal smoke coming off of him. The small wings on Quackity's back were puffed up in anger. Karl's never seen them so visibly upset, at least not directed at him.

"Of course not!" Karl cries, "You know what he's done just as much as I do, it was just..."

"Just what, Karl," Quackity asks, his voice even and cold in what they would joke is his lawyer voice. He doesn't feel like joking about it when the voice is used towards him; he never thought the voice _would_ be used towards him. Karl scrambles to give them some kind of convincing lie, anything to protect them from the knowledge that he's been cursed with. 

"This is ridiculous," Sapnap grumbles, "I'm getting Sam." He pulls out his communicator and fear spikes through Karl. He can't tell them, he doesn't want to damn them to his curse, but he also can't lose them. 

"Don't!" In his selfish fear of losing the loves of his life, he yells out, "I didn't want you going to Dream because I knew he would break out because I can see the future." Sapnap's gaze snaps up from his communicator, and Quackity's wings fully expand. The three of them stand in silence, before Quackity bursts out laughing.

"You've gotta be kidding me," his voice is anything but joking, "how stupid do you think we are?" 

"I'm serious," Karl reaches out, grabbing one of Quackity's hands and one of Sapnap's. He can see their small tells, the way Quackity's left wing twitches in curiosity, and the way Sapnap's eyes simmer down. "I'll prove it." He regrets saying that almost instantly. He had time traveled just yesterday to try and find more information about the egg, getting stuck with one of Technoblade's ancestors, and he's never tried to travel twice in less than 48 hours. But the trusting hope in his boyfriends' eyes encourages him. He's doing this for them. The silence is deafening as Quackity and Sapnap stare at him. 

"Fine," Sapnap finally says, and Karl lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"So you know how I'll sometimes just disappear for a little bit?" They both nod, "Well, it's because I'm checking the future. Lately, it's been...bleak. So I check at least once a week to make sure nothing is going to happen to you guys," Quackity inhales sharply but Karl presses on, "but sometimes it kind of throws me into the future. Like, I get stuck there for a bit. So if that happens I might not be back for a bit," Karl pauses in his path to his personal room in their base, "actually, I'm not really sure how it works on the outside. For me, I can get stuck for...for days," he shudders at the memory of getting stuck in a rather unfortunate future where Tommy sided with Dream and the two of them rained havoc on the server. He made sure to have Bad go visit the boy in exile the next morning. 

"Hey," Sapnap sets a hand on his shoulder, smiling softly, "if this whole time travel thing is real, we'll be here the whole time." Karl gives him a tight smile, and the three of them head into his room. They all had a shared bedroom in the base, but they also had personal rooms where they kept belongings, ender chests, pets, or other personal items. With the server's history of personal items being used against you, they all had a rule where no one was allowed into the other's room without consent. Karl's room was plain, only having a few chairs, a bookshelf, Rutabaga's bed, and a few hoodies thrown about. Hidden in plain sight was a book that looked shockingly similar to Karl's hoodie. Karl grabs it, and the three of them watch as the skin on Karl's hand gains a faint color shift to it, changing between the same colors on his hoodie and on the book. 

"Dude, what the fuck," Quackity mumbles, "I've got one fiance who's part blaze and his dad is a demon, and the other is a time traveler who has colorful hands?" Karl wants to laugh, brush off the situation, but in all honesty, he's terrified. He's never done this in front of other people. He would always lock himself in his personal room and come too in various states of awareness. Taking a deep breath, he sits down on one of the chairs and opens the book.

"The entire thing is blank-"

"Sapnap be quiet," Karl snaps, shocking both of the others in the room. Karl is never serious. _Never_. 

He sets his hands on the blank pages of the book, closes his eyes, and lets himself fall into the timeline. 

* * *

If Sapnap was being 100% honest with himself, he thinks Karl is full of shit. He got caught helping Dream and lying his way out of dates and forgetting important pieces of information simply because he didn't care and this whole time travel thing is some elaborate lie to keep him on their good side. But the genuine fear and honesty and _trust_ in Karl's eyes as he leads them to his room makes him keep his mouth shut. He gives a snide remark when the fancy book is completely blank but hearing Karl sound so serious makes him regret it. Sure, the book left a strange aura around Karl's hands but Sapnap's dad was a literal demon- he's used to magic. 

But when Karl places his hands on the blank pages and literally fucking glows, Sapnap takes it back a bit. When pieces of Karl's body fragment and twist into different shapes and colors that Sapnap never thought he could comprehend, he completely takes it back. 

"What the hell," Quackity laughs nervously, "what the- what the fuck? What the hell?" 

"This doesn't prove that he can time travel, just that he's magical somehow," Sapnap says and Quackity smacks his arm.

"He is literally fucking glowing, what is wrong with you," Quackity laughs incredulously, he was always a nervous laugher. Sapnap had to admit that he had a point, though. There wasn't much else to explain the sight in front of them. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Sapnap asks and Quackity looks between his two fiances for a moment before shrugging. 

"We wait until he wakes up," Quackity slumps into one of the chairs, Sapnap taking the third and final one, and they sit in silence as they watch Karl do whatever the hell he was doing.

It felt like watching paint dry. After the first hour of watching random parts of Karl glitch out and change colors, it got boring. After the second hour, it got concerning. By the third hour, Karl shouts himself awake, throwing the book across the room as blood starts to leak out of his nose. His breath is ragged and his eyes are still somewhat glitched out. It gives his face a strange uncanny-valley-like appearance, but both Sapnap and Quackity put aside the offputting feeling to focus on Karl as he freaks out. 

"Hey, Karl, you're okay," Quackity kneels in front of Karl, where he's pushed himself up against the bookshelf. 

"Karl, can I touch you?" Sapnap asks, sitting cross-legged next to him. Karl's eyes snap to his and the distinct look of _'who are you?'_ makes Sapnap's stomach flip. Karl doesn't respond, simply staring at Sapnap with confusion, so he keeps his hands on his own knees while Quackity follows suit and sits on the ground in front of Karl. 

"What happened?" Quackity asks, ever practical.

"Niki and Jack are gonna- Tubbo's bombs, oh my god-" Karl stutters, "no, wait no that already happened. It already happened?" There's no certainty in his voice and the other two share a concerned look.

"Karl, what do you know has happened recently?" Sapnap asks slowly and Karl hesitates for long enough that it makes him want to cry.

"...Dream and Techno and Phil just blew up L'manberg," Karl says, voice wavering, "no. No that was before Tubbo had nukes... Sapnap you were going to court, with George, over Joffery," Sapnap stomach sinks further. He never brought up Joffery to anyone, not even his fiances.

"Joffery?" Quackity asks, looking to Sapnap.

"My- my horse. I got in a fight with George and he...he died," Sapnap says, voice thick, "I've never told you guys about it." 

"...Well, at least this confirms that Karl isn't lying about the time travel," Quackity tries to lighten the mood. Nobody laughs. Karl's still shaking slightly.

"Karl do you know where you are?" Sapnap asks and Karl takes a deep breath, glancing around.

"...my room?" Karl says it like a question, "in your base. Have we gotten married yet?"

"No," Quackity sighs, "we were gonna...a while ago, actually. Bad was gonna do it," the reminder about Sapnap's situation with Bad at the moment stings.

"Why would Bad do it?" Karl asks and Sapnap rests his head in his hands. 

"Bad's an ordained minister, and he's my dad," Sapnap sighs, "Karl I think this time travel stuff is messing with your head. You forgot Juni's name, forgot you were gonna give that girl a tour of the server, forgot about you and Quackity's date, you forgot who my _dad_ is." Tears are in the corner of both Karl and Sapnap's eyes, and the three of them sit in silence for a moment before Quackity stands up abruptly. 

"Come on, let's go get some ice cream from Fundy," he holds out a hand for both of his fiances and pulls them off the floor, "we'll figure this out." The walk to Fundy and Ranboo's ice cream shop is quiet, Karl occasionally asking questions about where buildings that are yet to exist are or what buildings that have been there for months are. It builds guilt in Sapnap's heart knowing he was mad at Karl for this not even a day ago. 

Eventually, they come to an agreement: Karl lets at least one of them know he's going to time travel, and he can't do it more than once a week. They have to listen to any of his warnings of "don't go here at this time" or "cancel these plans". There are moments where it's hard watching Karl come back from the future, fearful of every action and holding onto Sapnap and Quackity's hands like a lifeline. Or when Karl forgets an important fact about one of them, or a date they have planned, or even just small things and watching him get frustrated at himself for forgetting. But when Karl tells them of the times he gets to go back in time and fall in love with them all over again, it makes it just a little bit worth it. Karl's relieved to have people to talk to, as well. He'll stay up until two am whispering his fears of the future to Sapnap, or concerns for Quackity's emotional health after reliving some of his vice presidency with Schlatt. It's nice to finally have people to confide in.

One night, Karl got the chance to look at what he liked to call the Web. It was an intricately strung web of futures, and the paths that lead to them. Before, when it was him and only him who knew of his time traveling, he saw so many strings ending with Quackity and Sapnap leaving him. Whether it was because he just forgot too much for them to ignore, or he pushes them away, or he loses himself in the In-Between, he could go on. Now, however, he can see the exact moment in time where he told his fiances about his time traveling, and he can watch as each path splits off. Every single one ends in them staying together, supporting each other through thick and thin.

There are strings that make Karl terrified, strings that keep him up at night, but knowing that Sapnap and Quackity will stick by his side makes the future a bit more bearable. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in a very different style than what I'm used to, simply because I wanted little snippets of Quackity and Sapnap seeing Karl's memory loss/time travel effects first hand, but I also wanted Karl's POV, and I didn't have the time to make this a multichapter thing so each chapter is a new POV. So it's a little choppy, super sorry about that, but I hope it's good none the less! I'm not super proud of this, but I've got a deadline to meet and I'm also lowkey sick haha, sorry for any typos.  
> Sapnap is honestly so fun to write? I wasn't expecting it lol, maybe I'll write more Sapnap centric stuff in the future, who knows. I also haven't really watched a whole lot of The Tales of the SMP, so sorry if there are small discrepancies when it comes to the lore of how time travel works! It doesn't seem like Karl actually picks and chooses where he travels too, or sees any kind of near future, but for the premise of this fic just pretend he can lol. I really need to catch up on the general lore of the Dream SMP lmao. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it (especially you, Quaxy, I hope this was what you wanted)! Happy Valentine's day :)


End file.
